Will Cain Country - From the Vault: A Big Game Special Episode w/ Bill Hemmer, Bernie Kosar, and Steve Bornstein!

Episode Date: February 6, 2026

Will is off today, but he wanted to share his favorite interviews covering the Big Game:Story 1: Co-Anchor of America’s Newsroom Bill Hemmer joins Will just after Super Bowl LVIII, going over the highlights of the game and discussing how they came to love football in the first place. Hemmer and Will also weigh in on Football’s parallels to military life and how it acts as a microcosm of America’s best traits.Story 2: Former NFL Quarterback Bernie Kosar joins Will ahead of Super Bowl LIX to discuss his career, going over the numerous injuries he sustained during his time in the NFL. Bernie also shares his own struggles with mental health and his efforts to bring more attention to the struggles most men keep buried deep down.Story 3: Seasoned Sports Media Executive and President of Genius Sports Steve Bornstein joins Will to discuss some of the best places to host the Super Bowl, why football remains so popular compared to other sports, and the “professionalization” of College Football.Subscribe to ‘Will Cain Country’ on YouTube here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Watch Will Cain Country!⁠⁠⁠Follow ‘Will Cain Country’ on X (⁠⁠⁠@willcainshow⁠⁠⁠), Instagram (⁠⁠⁠@willcainshow⁠⁠⁠), TikTok (⁠⁠⁠@willcainshow⁠⁠⁠), and Facebook (⁠⁠⁠@willcainnews⁠⁠⁠)Follow Will on X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@WillCain⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Hey, it's Wilcane. Welcome to Wilcane Country. We're taking a little time away. But that doesn't mean the conversation stops. Today we pulled together a bust of show moments that cut through the noise, sparks real debate, made you reach out. It's a solid snapshot of what we've been doing on this program. Let's get to it.

I wouldn't say running, buddy, but I wouldn't say over the last couple of days there's been one familiar face in my Las Vegas Super Bowl 58 experience. From the airplane to the hotel to the compound out here outside of Allegiance Stadium, My constant companion this weekend has been the host of America's newsroom. It has been Bill Himmer. What's up, man? Nice to see you.

Good to hang with you. So how many Super Bowls is this for Bill Himmer? I'd have to stop and count them up. It's between 15 and 20. 20 on the high end. Why so many Super Bowls? Because I think there are a few places, probably zero places in America where you can go and 60,000 people are all in a good mood.

And that's what you get a kickoff. It doesn't end up that way, but that's what you get when you walk in. You get a lot of smiles and a lot of happy people. So, by the way, I love football. I know you do. I love it. I mean, Will, I go to the game with binoculars, and I got pretty good seats, and I'm still with binoculars, because I want to catch as much as I can.

When I see Bill off camera, when I see you in the hallways, it's usually a football conversation. You truly love the game. Why do you love football so much? I don't know. Just played it growing up. I think it's an ultimate team sport. I think I understand it. I can see the nuances in ways that I can't in other games, or other sports rather.

Yeah, yeah, I'd say that. You know, I've always said this, Bill. Football is my number one sport, both college and professional. Soccer has made its way into my second favorite sport. They're entirely different sports. And I've always said football is the biggest approximation to the military. The requirements of football, first of all, it's a job-oriented sport. It's not a freelance sport.

It's not, hey, let me see what you can do creatively. It is, as Bill Belichick said, do your job. And it's an amazing task to get that many men who are all contributing individual jobs onto the same page to pursue a common goal. And in the process, they set aside class differences, regional differences, racial differences. It is the closest analogy to our military.

I love it. I really love it. And maybe it's the closest analogy we can draw to a more perfect America. I look at what you sized up there. The reason they're able to execute in a game like this, when the pressure is never more so than in a Super Bowl, is because they've done it a thousand times together. And I was watching last night, like the Kansas City offensive line, just two observations here. These guys who are, look, San Francisco's front floor is really good.

I think that was the best game Chase Young has had, maybe as a pro. He really showed out. And Nick Bosa was gased toward the end of that game. And he was showing out. And when Kansas City's offensive line did something good, they're fist pumping each other, they're hitting each other in the back. I was like, wow, that is truly a unit. I'll say this about Mahomes.

I was at that game in Miami. It was February of 2020 right before the world changed. It's the first play from scrimmage. Mahomes is in a shotgun. I got my binoculars, and I'm watching Nick Bosa, because my brother played at Boston College with Bosa's dad. So I've always kind of followed the family, and Bosa played at Miami, you know, boom, boom, boom.

That snap in the first play of that game, got back to Mahomes as quickly as Nick Bosa got back there as well. And I think that that was in Mahomes' head for three quarters. And four years ago, he was trying to figure out a way where he could beat that San Francisco defense. I think we saw something very similar last night. Well, Holmes is that, how do we beat them? And he always waits for the opportunity, not to beat you with his arm, but to beat you with his legs. And that's what he had toward the end of the game.

You're absolutely right. There was nothing they could do for two and a half quarters, perhaps three quarters. But here's the thing about it. You know, I want to almost ask you, what was the one? moment, what was the one play? And we could talk about some big moments in a game. That's often the way it is in football if a kick goes left instead of it going right or if an interception isn't tipped, whatever it may be. But in a game that includes Patrick Mahomes, I made a list, by the way. I'm like the fourth and one, the missed extra point. But in the end, if Patrick Mahomes has the ball in his

hands with time on the clock, he's going to do what he does. I would just add this. And I don't think a lot of people have even mentioned in the last 12 hours is that punt team for San Francisco when the ball bounced off his cleat. And I tell you, Will, I was waiting for the replay on the scoreboard, never saw it. I was going to X because that's what we do when we're watching the game. We're trying to see what people are saying. And there was no good replay of it. I have yet to see physically that football hit his cleat.

Oh, really? You don't see the angle where it just? I assume it exists out there, but I mean, that was really a turning point in terms of momentum. Are you saying the NFL is rigged? No. That was good. No. No, I believe that two years ago when Cincinnati got screwed.

That's it. I mean, sorry. Hey, okay, so you have a scope of 15 to 20 Super Bowls. Let's do this for a minute. Best Super Bowl you've been to. Wow. Sorry, I can't say best, but I'll tell you. some great moments. Malcolm Butler intercepting that Russell Wilson pass for New England to win.

That was really, really spectacular moment. Last year was a great game. You were there for 28 to 3 comeback? Yeah, I was there too. Yeah, in Houston. I was with my niece. She's a school teacher in Houston, Texas. I like Megan, we got to go. She goes, Billy, the game's not over. We're walking toward the far end zone, and we see the interception. And she goes, are you sure you want to leave? And sure enough, New England scores to get the ball back to the score. We went back to our seats and sat back down. What do you think is the best city to host a Super Bowl?

I think Vegas did a really good job. But I think so far it's probably New Orleans, which is where, you know, Fox will have it next year. And the reason why it's so good is because they're really good at big time entertainment, big time events. And if you don't need a car, you can watch. walk everywhere and I think that makes a big difference. All right, best stadium. I'm gonna say something here. I'm gonna say it.

This stadium behind me is gorgeous. Look at this, the Death Star, the Raiders home, it's gorgeous. And it's brand new. Brand new. Yeah. On the outside. And I'm gonna be real. Okay.

I was a little underwhelmed on the inside. You thought so. It's a little unfinished. You can see the duct work. It's, uh, look. You're looking at the duck work? Well, it's hard to admit it. It's hard to miss it. Somebody feels temporary, by the way, the walls.

It's not in the, here's my top three, which I, one of them I haven't, two of them I've been to, but I've seen the pictures and seen TV. Number one, SoFi in LA. It looks amazing. Yeah. Number two, AT&T in Dallas. It's incredible. Pretty good. Hey, side note. Long line, and I counted why, nine urinals. It's a Super Bowl. Don't have me walk into a room with nine urinals. I'm missing a lot of the games. I think Pottie Parrotties turn it south the other way again. AT&T, everything is nice and big. And then Minnesota.

What is it, U.S. Bank? Yes. Awesome. Those are my three. Yeah. Best stadium. I think the one in Minneapolis is really good because I think there's so many windows there that allow daylight to come in. I agree with you on the stadium in, is it Fort Worth?

Arlington. Arlington. Thank you. Because of that big screen, because as a fan, you don't know if you should be watching the game or the television screen. but pretty amazing stuff. I love SOFI. I did not like the outcome at all. I'm still a little sore.

Okay. SoFi is an extraordinary venue. It's hard to walk inside the stadium. Oh. I like this because it's got the new car feel, and it's got the new car smell. New construction is pretty good. I think that probably does it.

Yeah. Yeah. I think that, they really did a good job in Miami at the hard rock the way they renovated it. That's a very different stadium for what it was originally. Miami's a great city for a Super Bowl. I agree with that. Can I say one thing about Super Bowls and losing?

Yeah. As I tell all my friends, I say there's only one thing worse than going to Super Bowl. That's losing a Super Bowl because it sticks with you for a lifetime. So several years, several years, right? Several years ago, I rented Joe Montana, right? I said, oh, man, it's you? I see, you know, I introduced myself. I said, Joe, you were responsible for two of the worst days in my childhood.

What did he say? I get that a lot. I hear that a lot. I didn't share this with you. I got to hang out yesterday with maybe the greatest Cincinnati bingo of all time. Oh, Anthony Munoz. Anthony Munoz. By the way, his left finger does that, like a lot of offensive alignment, it's just at a 90-degree angle.

And I was talking, we were up here, whatever. was 4 a.m. local time. Uh-huh. And it's 31 degrees. It's what, 35 degrees. Yeah, he got up. He's big Fox News, Fox and Friends. And he, I was said, it's so cold.

And he goes, I played in the coldest game in NFL history, 59 below. I said, did you wear sleeves or put the stuff on your arms like a Vaseline? He goes, none of that works. Uh-huh. We wore a gray t-shirt, shoulder pads, and a jersey. On AstroTurf in Cincinnati, which he said is like playing on concert. That's right. I was at that game.

Really? Yeah. I was a freshman in high school. You want to hear the story? I do. So a buddy of mine, Billy Meyer, he says, we got to get tickets. How do we get tickets? You know, we're just kids.

He goes, my uncle's a ticket taker. He said, meet my father on the plaza level. Games at 1 o'clock. Of course, me, I'm there at 11.30. And it was in 59 below, it was 72 degrees below zero. The Ohio River is frozen. They've frozen for weeks. I'm waiting, I'm waiting, I can't find Billy.

I can't find his tentail. They show up, they can't find their uncle because all the ticket takers are so bundled up. There's an RV from here to that camera right there. A guy comes out of the RV and says, what do you need? I said, I got to get in. He goes, how many need? I said, I'm sorry, but I need three. One for me, one for Billy, one for his dad.

He takes me inside his RV, hands me four tickets. I come out. We go sliding across the ice, green level. To this day, I can feel my shins hitting the back of the green level seats, right as Jim Breach kicked off with the coldest game ever played. Boom. And we won, went to the Super Bowl and lost to Joe Montana. When I asked you why you love football, you threw in there, you played. Tell me about your, what did you play?

I was strong safety, elder high school, Cincinnati. We had some good teams and we had some great friends and some great buddies for a lifetime. You talk about like the mechanics of a football game and a football team and how you make it work and how you make it well. And I said because you do it a thousand times. And I think the other reason is because you trust the people who are around you. And I think it's true in football and I think it's true in life. I think it might sound like a cliche, but what those guys do, on that team, the only reason they're able to do it is because they do it together. And they've got

coaches on their team who are leaders. And they know which guys on the team when they say something, when they need to listen. I also had Joe Thaisman this weekend, and he said to me, playing quarterback in the NFL is the most dependent position in sports. Not the most independent, the most dependent. If everyone around you does not do your job, you cannot do your job. But I think, think that's true for the sport at large. When I said earlier, Belichick's mantra was do your job, and I think you're right, this is a great analogy for many things in life, is don't try to do his job. Don't try to do his job. Do your job and trust him to do his job. If we all start doing whatever we can, even in the pursuit of success, we're going to mess up the entire enterprise

that makes up for this to be a team game. Just do your job. Yeah, you know, and Anthony Munoz could tell you, because he was, in my opinion, he was the best ever. You got a left tackle. He's six foot eight. And whatever it was, 285 pounds coming out of University of Southern California then. And I was looking at San Francisco's success on offense. And if you look at their left tackle,

the same position that Anthony Munoz play, you got Trent Williams. He is a mountain of a man. And he is really, really good. And I don't think that Brock Purdy would be able to have the success he's had in his second year playing without people like Trent Williams on his left side. Let's bring this back, as you just did, to the game at hand, to the Super Bowl, to Super Bowl 58. Let's look forward.

First of all, Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kels here talking about winning three in a row, something that nobody has done. They just won three in five years. He's 28 years old, Mahomes. He's got three Super Bowl wins. Brady finished his career with six. Well, seven because he won't win in Tampa. That's right, Tampa Bay as well.

And by the way, Brady showed you can play to your 40. So Mahomes could have another 12-year run here to win four more. Yeah, I guess it's possible. Something we'll watch. I think he also has something that a lot of teams don't have. And Brady had it with Belichick. And Mahomes has it with Andy Reed. And what a fantastic coach he is.

The way players respect him and the mind that he has for the game. Look, Mahom's a great player, but he can't do what he. without Reed and we can't do it without Mahomes. So I think it's an awesome combination. I think if you go through great historical NFL teams, you'll find a very similar relationship between the coach and their star player like you do with Kansas City. Don't go anywhere. Back in just a moment with more of this best of edition of Wilcane Country. Boating for flight 246 to Toronto is delayed 50 minutes. Ugh, what? Sounds like Ojo time. Play Ojo. Great idea. Feel the fun with all the latest slots in live casino games and with no wagering requirements. What you

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please go to conicsonterio.ca. Local news is in decline across Canada, and this is bad news for all of us. With less local news, noise, rumors, and misinformation fill the void. And it gets harder to separate truth from fiction. That's why CBC News is putting more direction. journalists in more places across Canada, reporting on the ground from where you live, telling the

stories that matter to all of us, because local news is big news. Choose news, not noise. CBC News. There he is. Nothing like getting makeup put on in front of one of your childhood heroes. Bernie Kosar joins us here on the Will Kane show. What's up, Bernie? Hey, Will, good to be with you. And I have to say, between the Larry Izzo shout out in the first segment and then trying to follow Bonnie as impressive as that was. I was hypnotically fascinated on the Mavericks and the Luca conversation. And then what Bonnie ended up talking, what Bonnie ended up talking about, about the military and the awesome work that she's doing

with our veterans and stuff is something that's I'm incredibly passionate about. As a guy who, with this awesome Super Bowl going on, you're at Bourbon Street. I'm over at the Higher Regency for the NFL alumni for the Hall of Fame today with the inductions that happened that are happening here this afternoon. But as a guy who's gone through so much of the stuff that Bonnie was talking about with some of the veterans, and as a guy who's had 60 surgeries will, 80 broken bones, 100 concussions, 15 seizures, it's awesome to be on with you this morning. And I've been told, you know, six years ago that I have five years left to cognitive brain function. So to be able to say cognitive and enunciate, articulate, communicate somewhat of a cohesive message. And be on with you on your show today. It's a heck of an honor.

Dang, Bernie. So give me those numbers one more time. Would you say 60 surgeries and 100 concussions? You know, I'm super proud, Will, to have played 12 years in the NFL. get a national championship, a University of Miami, Super Bowl, with the Cowboys in 1993. But yes, I've had more than 60 surgeries, more than 80 broken bones, probably north of 100 concussions. But the 14 or 15 seizures that happened and ended up being in a coma in the last couple for 72 and 96 hours. And I'm not proud to say this will, but from when I retired in 1997, and those six,

surgery started, I was on north of probably 80 to 100 pills for most of this century for parts of this last three decades. So as a guy who pretends to be extroverted, who is here down to Super Bowl, hanging out with quite a few of my ex-teammates, but mental health and mental awareness and some of the things that as men that we've been masking in terms of suppressing our anxiety and not feeling comfortable being able to say that we struggle sometimes with depression and anxiety. And I love Will my number 19. I loved my number 18 and I was a Dallas cowboy guy, but 19 people a day will commit suicide

just today in the state of Ohio. And what Bonnie was talking about about some of our veterans, and there'll be 22 veterans in our country today that commits suicide. just in Ohio in the last seven days, we had over 100 people pass away from the overdose death from the fentanyl issue. And I'm not proud to say, Will, that I could have or should have been one of those two statistics. So now as I'm getting into the late third quarter, early fourth quarter of my life, I almost feel like it's a responsibility to kind of talk a little bit about this and let people know that if you have some of these issues, there's some help out there. Well, Bernie, I can't tell you how happy I am that you did not become one of those statistics.

And I guess we have five to six years, as you said, according to your doctors, of what you just are described as cognitive ability and ability to articulate your thoughts, which you're doing beautifully. I know you talked about you're dealing with the CTE issues, the concussion issues, the seizure issues. I believe also Parkinson's is something that you're dealing with. So, look, man, I'm super honored to be able to talk to you today. Thank you. Yes, I was told 11 months ago I have early stage Parkinson's. 10 months ago, I was put on a liver transplant list.

I'm supposed to have my spleen removed and my gallbladder. And I don't say that as a badge of honor. I don't say that for anybody out there listening to feel sorry for me. I'm definitely not saying it to be cool or anything. But I am saying it to show people that here I am today. I haven't taken a pill or a drug. or a drink in seven years. And to be able to be here on the show

with a lot of action going on down in New Orleans and to be able to be cognitively present and to be able to, again, enunciate, articulate, communicate with you. And I'm a fan of yours too, Will. So be able to maybe spread the message for people that there's alternatives out there. And I'm really big into functional medicine. Food is our diet.

The stomach and brain is tied. together. And if there's some simple things that I can bring a quality of life for people out there listening like I'm trying to bring for myself. And some of the things that I've gone through, unfortunately, I see other people and especially kids now doing some of the stuff. So I'm really trying almost like a responsibility to try to help out now. Don't go anywhere. Back in just a moment with more of this best of edition of Wilcane Country. With MX Platinum, U.S. access to over 1,400 airport lounges worldwide. So your experience before takeoff is a taste of what's to come.

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while you're doing it by sharing your story. And I want to go to football just a second, Bernie. But one more question, because I just have to follow up. When you lay all that out, it's almost like I have to ask. Would you do it all again? Would you play football? Would you sign up for all this again? Wow, Will.

So thanks for asking that question. I get asked it a lot. And I absolutely would. I so love what football is done for me. And again, as a guy who just hit 61 years old, I really thought, when I was young and I was playing, that I, my, my meaning in life was to be a quarterback from Youngstown, Ohio, and play football and then get to this late third quarter, fourth quarter of my life, sign autographs, cruise around.

But I really believe that all those injuries will, were really for a reason that I wouldn't have learned how to heal myself. I wouldn't have learned this functional medicine and this regeneration of my liver and my brain. So I'm actually feel really blessed in a narcissistic or masochistic way to have had these injuries because it almost forced me to learn this stuff and to be able not only to help myself and my children, but to help others. Let me ask you two football questions, Bernie. Let's go past and then we'll go future. I told you. And I don't say this stuff gratuitously.

I don't tell people their dog is cute unless it actually is cute. You were the only jersey outside of a Dallas Cowboy jersey I ever wore or bought. It was number 19. It was the Browns. I rooted for you for several years there every Sunday. You always ran into the Broncos and the playoffs, and it was something. The fumble, the drive, whatever. I don't know if it was the Josh Allen of the time running up against Mahomes and the Chiefs,

but I guess I just wanted to how it felt. It's like you guys were awesome. but you couldn't get over that final hump. Well, Will, thank you for the shout-out. I'm buying the 19 jersey. And I actually feel for Josh Allen. And I think Josh Allen's exceptional. He's played awesome.

But I am a little bit reflective of some of that. And I'm even more thankful to Jimmy Johnson and Jerry Jones for calling me to Dallas after the Browns to be able to play in the NFC. championship game against Ronnie Law and the 49ers and get that monkey off my chest from the three John L.A. ASC

championship games. Hey, and Will, from the football perspective, I don't want to name drop and stuff, but in kind of the first segment where you're talking about being with the goat last night, the great Tom Brady and all the, and Matt Liner and all those awesome quarterbacks of Matt

Castle. But the greatest of all was your shout out to my first teammate in great friend the great Larry Izzo. Love that. Oh, yeah. Yeah, I didn't know you're a old. He's a guy. We're personal friends before he became Larry Izzo. But he's a wild man. I mean, he's a wild man. So he was a rookie. Well, he was a rookie during one of my last years in the league. And here he comes as a small undersized linebacker from Rice University. And I gave him some of the best, think advice and I said hey Larry

there's no chance you're going to make this team you're going to get cut for sure so you got to go crazy down on special teams and knock out somebody who is not a pro bowl player and that's just what he did and he went on to have that awesome career and now to have him coached

so this is what the dolphins you're talking about so I just want to run this story by you okay we've been told he his buddy's behind the scenes I'll tell this story I want to make sure it's true so the story is exactly like you just described. He's early into training camp. He blows up somebody exactly like you said. Jimmy Johnson pulls him aside and says, Isso, what the hell are you doing? And he said, I'm just trying

to make this team coach. He said, get your ass, go to the locker room, get on the phone and call your mom and tell her you just made the Miami Dolphins. That's the story of how it went down. And then a few days later, and then the follow-up is a few days later, Johnson's mad at the whole team. And he said, I just want you guys to know nobody's on this team. You're all playing for your job. There are only two guys that have made the Miami Dolphins, Dan Marino and Larry Izzo. Yes. And actually, even to add to that, he kind of teased it a little bit by saying,

hey, Larry Iszo, do you have anybody that cares about you in this world? And Larry got all sheep as a rookie getting called out by the great Jimmy Johnson. And he goes, yeah, I think I have one or two people to love. me. And he goes, yeah, we'll call him and tell him you're going to be an NFL player for the Miami Dolphins. That's great. That is awesome. All right, Bernie, before I go, give me your prediction. What happens in this Super Bowl? So being a Cleveland guy coming up next to the Cleveland Heights where the Mr. and Mrs. Kelsey were so awesome to dress up Jason and Travis's little boys for Halloween and their number 19 Bernie Kosar jerseys.

So I was massively conflicted, Will, when both the Eagles and the Chiefs are playing in their first Super Bowl stint. But since then, Jason has retired. So that makes it super easy for me. And since last night, you were out dating with Matt Linerd. I was out dating with Ed Papa Kelsey. So go Chiefs go. Jason's retired. So we've got to go with Travis.

All right. Bernie Kosar. What a treat for me, Bernie. Thank you so much for jumping on with us today. Likewise, Will. Paul, any time for anything. You matter. All right.

Thank you so much, Bernie. There you goes, Bernie Kosar. Don't go anywhere. Back in just a moment with more of this best-of edition of Wilcane Country. This winter, we are cheering for our home nations, but your story might stretch far beyond one flag. With ancestry DNA, you can discover all the places from your family's past. Now, up to $65 on.

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It's going great. How are you? I'm good. Steve Borenstein, president of Genius Sports, former president, CEO and founder of the NFL Network and former president and CEO of ESPN. Hey, Steve, you've been involved in sports NFL network ESPN like this. What's the best place to host a Super Bowl? What's the best city?

Well, I like New Orleans, just like you were talking about. I like the character. I like the tradition. I mean, this is their 11th time they've hosted Super Bowl. They're number one along with Miami. So I'm a big fan of New Orleans, but I'm a fan of any place that, you know, It has the infrastructure to support it, and you can walk around. And New Orleans clearly has that.

That's a tough combo, by the way, isn't it? I mean, I was talking with one of the heads of Fox Sports a little bit of Mnago. The infrastructure key is always underplayed publicly. Like, literally, do you have enough hotel rooms to host everybody that needs to be here for the Super Bowl? And it's looking like, Steve, it's like Vegas, L.A., Atlanta, these are going to be big places into the future where you'll continue to see Super Bowls. You'll get San Francisco, you'll get New Orleans, you'll get your Miami's here and there.

But Atlanta, Vegas, and L.A. seem to be the ones that really satisfy that infrastructure. I think that's right. And I'd probably put Phoenix in that list as well. You know, the difference is in Atlanta, New Orleans, in Vegas, you can walk everywhere. Los Angeles and Miami is much more of a drive, which makes it a little more inconvenient,

but they clearly have the hotels and the restaurants and all the behind the wall stuff that supports the Super Bowl, which is important. I want to ask you this, Steve, the value of live sports has only continued to go up while we've seen a deterioration in traditional television distribution, cable and broadcast, right? But inside the value of those live rights, the NFL has held. held a very unique place high atop the mountain. NBA ratings, by the way, have not necessarily continued to hold strong. I don't know about some of the more other niche sports, but what is it about football? And I guess college football to a lesser extent, but what is it about football

in general that continues to be such a valuable thing to attract eyeballs? Well, you know, live sports in general is becoming the most, the only product that today, a programming out there today that's must-see television appointment television. I mean, it's a historical trend is that linear television is going to continue to fragment. And live sports is by clear the only event out there that you have to watch in the moment. And that's why you're seeing the decay of other content going faster and sports seems to maintain it. In America, you know, American football is the only sport. I mean, there really is no second.

And that's why you're seeing the NFL continue to be incredibly smart and how they deploy their products. I think, you know, if you look at even, you know, Christmas Day, putting the games on Netflix, having, you know, eight different carriers of their content, all promoting that sport, all talking about NFL football only makes it more important in our culture. And that's what you're seeing. And you're just seeing the vestige of fragmentation of scripted content, live sports becoming continually more critical and the only appointment viewing out there, the only water cool a event really that people want to talk about and people gather around.

And the fact that American football is there is no really any competition to it in the sports environment. No competition to threaten its place atop the mountain. But because, as you mentioned, live sports is the one thing you have to see in the moment. So the valuations of almost everything have gone up, right? F1, English soccer teams, everything from an ownership perspective has continued to climb. Is that a reflection of all of those leagues and properties also being something that continues to attract eyeballs because it's live sports into the future? If I understood your question, I don't see any decay of this.

I mean, to me, I've been in this business now going on 40 years, and all you're seeing is that what we had predicted literally 30 years ago is that live sports will continue to be the most important content out there to attract large audiences. And if you're an advertiser, large audiences are still important. If you are a niche advertiser, then you're going to go to some of those events that are specific to them, like e-sports or to your point, Formula One racing. And so all those boats are rising, but only because everything else is continuing to fragment faster than than it was ever anticipated.

If that makes sense to you. Is there any, it does, is there any zero-sum game nature to college football and NFL? In other words, at some point is an appetite satiated and you choose. As college football becomes more and more professional, paying the players, NIL, huge. contracts for TV rights for the for the conferences. Do you think at some point it's not this symbiotic relationship, but it becomes even almost a competitive relationship between college and pro football? I don't think I would come down to that conclusion.

I kind of look at all boats are rising. You know, the professionalization of college football to me is frankly long overdue. I mean, it's a big business and a big industry, and everybody was profiting from that, whether it was Olympic sports or women's sports or non-revenue-generating sports, whether it was coaches and whether it was the universities. The only guys that weren't participating in were the athletes that were actually out there competing. So I look at this rationalization as a positive. Now, you can argue and rightfully so that, you know, it's a bit of a wild, wild west,

and now it's just open bidding, and, you know, you have $2 million quarterbacks, $4 million quarterbacks. Is that really what you want the sport to be? And I would argue, no. There should be some guide rails. There should be a system to it that makes rational sense. But we're in the early stages of that. And, you know, there could have been better leadership from the NCAA.

There could have been better leadership from the conferences and sort of taking charge on this. And I think that's what you're seeing now. It'll be rationalized. It'll be less of the Wild Wild West. And I think it's only going to be good for sports in general and for television. What sport, Steve, I mean, you ran ESPN. I think under your tenure, is that when the X game started? Did you guys start the X games while you were at ESPN?

Yeah. We did. What would you, like if you were looking for to invest right now as a network or whatever it may be, in a niche sport that gets you into the game of live sports, I'm just curious that one that you think, I don't want you to say the NFL is undervalued, that could be your answer. It's actually the NFL that's still undervalued. But like, what is the other sport out there that you're like, that one? And I know everybody's done this.

I mean, in Mad Men, they said in the 1960s everybody was going to be into High Lie. Right. But I don't know what the next sport is that you think what we saw happen with UFC, right? UFC went from a niche sport into a big-time consumer event. What would be the one you would pinpoint next? Well, I, you know, my theory is this. I mean, there are culturally people and people like very simple sports. I mean, in the United States, culturally people can only accept two complicated sports.

In the United States, it's different than it's in the UK. In the U.S., we like baseball and American football. In the UK, they like, you know, cricket and and soccer, for lack of a better word for it. And soccer is a universal sport. It is by far the only sport that will play internationally. And if you were in France, you know, you could like bicycle racing and soccer. And so the kind of simpler sports resonate internationally. So boxing resonates across the board.

UFC resonates across the sport. Darts is quite popular across the sport. So I would say to answer your question, you know, motorsports, you know, is basically cars going around either on a lot of. a circuit or in a circle. It's not difficult to understand. That's one of the attractiveness of basketball. But I would tell you, if Iowa is a betting man, certainly in the U.S., a sport that I think

is undervalued and fits culturally in our society, is probably women's volleyball. To me, it's an exciting concept. It works well on television. It's simple to understand. and they're great athletes doing some serious competition. I think we've only scratched the surface. If I was looking in the U.S. and what the next big sport is, that's where I would probably look hard at.

I love that answer. I wasn't expecting that. By the way, like full team or beach volleyball? No, it's full team. I think beach volleyball, I don't know why I believe this, but it's certainly beautiful to watch and you like being on the water. It doesn't have the same complexity of the team sport or volleyball. And I think there's a little bit of complexity that makes it more interesting to me as a visual.

Women's volleyball. Well, there you go. Wasn't expecting that. One more. Do you think soccer ever follows the international trend here in America? Like MLS, MLS ever arrives? I don't know what. Not in the big three yet, not the big four yet.

I'll give you the answer. I'll give my children. I said the answer to all your questions is money. You know, do you think that MLS will be paying competitive salaries to what the EPL pay or the Bundesliga pays? And until you do, it's not going to be a first-year sport in the U.S.

Is it exciting? Is it great? I mean, I've gone to some MLS games, and they're fabulous. L.A. Football Club, you can't have a better experience as a fan and as a spectator. But it's in our country, it's going to play a pretty distant fiddle to American football,

American basketball. All right. Steve Bornstein, Genius Sports President here with us on the Will Kane show. Really appreciate your time, Steve. Fun talking. Will I enjoyed it. Take care. Okay, take care. That's going to do it for this best of edition of Will Kane Country. Thanks for listening, and we'll be back soon.

Listen to ad-free with a Fox News podcast plus subscription on Apple Podcasts. And Amazon Prime members, you can listen to this show, ad-free on the Amazon Music app. This is Ainsley-Aerhart. Thank you for joining me for the 52-episode podcast series, The Life of Jesus. A listening experience that will provide hope, comfort, and understanding of the greatest story ever told. Listen and follow now at foxnewspodcasts.com,

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